George f



e. F. HOFFMAN.

FLAG.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. 1915.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

WITNESS 19 F ym an GEORGE F. HOFFMAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22 1916.

Application filed March 20, 1915. Serial No. 15,894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county ;of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flags, of which the following is a specification. v

The principal object of the present invention is to prevent flags from wrapping around their poles or stafis.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple, efiicient and comparatively inexpensive means which form in elfect a part of the flag and are concealed by it and which permit the flag to be attached to the staff or pole in the ordinary Way and yet accomplish the object above mentioned.

Another object of the invention is to so construct these means that the flag when not in use can be folded up into a convenient small compass.

Another object of the invention is while preventing the flag from wrapping around its pole or staff to permit the flag to present a graceful, free floating appearance.

The invention will be claimed at the end hereof, but will be first described in connection with the embodiment of it chosen for illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is an elevational view of a part of a flag and its pole or staff, showing an embodiment of my invention, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4, are side views illustrating modifications of the invention.

In the drawings 1 is a flag provided at one corner thereof with an L-shaped pocket. The part 2 of the pocket may comprise the space within the binding 3 with which flags are ordinarily provided. The other part 4 may comprise the space between the body part 5 of the flag and a strip 6 applied thereto. This portion-4 of the pocket may be lined with a stronger material than that of which the flag and strip are made. The strip 6, is of course of the same color as the part of the flag to which it is applled so that its application in no way affects the appearance of the flag. The lining being concealed within the part 4 of the pocket is invisible. Within the pocket I arrange a frame consisting of two arms in angular relation with each other and of which one occupies the part 2 of the pocket and the other the part 4 thereof. The angle at 7 between the arms of the frame is greater than 90 and may be called obtuse. The advantage of an obtuse angle is that where the flag pole or staff 8 is inclined, the frame does not cause the edge of the flag to be held unnaturally or out of its free position. The frame may be variously'constructed and as shown in Fig.

l it consists of a continuous rod or wire having at each end an eye 9 and 10 and also having intermediate of its ends an eye 11. The eye 9 is convenient for stitching or sewing the frame to the flag. The eye 10 makes a finish which does not tend to wear or come through the material of the flag or of the strip or of the lining material of the part 4 of the pocket. The eye 11 may be arranged to operate as a part of the gromet with which flags are customarily provided.

As shown in Fig. 2 the construction of the frame is the same as has been described in connection with Fig. 1, except that the longer arm of the frame is telescopic and so can be extended when the flag is in use or contracted when the flag is to be folded. In this figure the extension 12 consists of a rod bent to form eyes 13 and 14: encircling the rod 15 of the frame, which rod 15 is provided with an eye 16 encircling the extension 12.

As shown in Fig. 3, the eye designated in the other figures, 11, is omitted and the extension 17 is provided with one eye 18 encirclingthe arm 19 of the frame, which arm 19 is provided with two eyes 20 and 21 encircling the extension 17 The construction shown in Fig. 4: is substantially the same as shown in Fig. 1, except that the arms of the frame are somewhat difi'erently proportioned.

In use the frame is concealed within the flag so that the flag can be attached to its staff or pole just as if the frame were not present and in any convenient way. Furthermore the flag presents its ordinary free and graceful appearance, but it may not wrap around the pole 8 because the frame prevents it from doing so, although the flag is free to swing around the pole but without winding up on it. When the flag is not in use the frame remains attached to it and if it is of the telescopic variety the flag can be folded into a small compass. When it is desired to display the flag, the result can be accomplished in the ordinary way because the frame is a part of the flag and does not require to be connected with the pole or any of its attachments.

It will be obvious that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention, hence the latter is not limited as to those matters or in any way further than the prior state of the art and the following claims may require.

What I claim is:

1. In a flag the combination with the body thereof of a frame arranged at the lower inner corner of the flag and within the margin thereof and attached to the body and consisting of angularly disposed and relatively immovable arms of which one extends partway across and the other extends partway lengthwise of the body, and said frame carried wholly by the flag.

2. The combination of a flag and a frame attached thereto and carried wholly thereby and consisting of two rigidly connected arms disposed marginally at the lower inner corner of the flag and shorter than the edges thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

GEORGE F. HOFFMAN.

Witnesses:

CLIFFORD K. CASSEL, K. M. GILLIGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

